


May I Have You?

by SaltNPeppa



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Family Bonding, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Mush, Love Confessions, M/M, Meta, Mostly Fluff, Other, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Possessive Behavior, Rick B-140γη, Wholesome, Writer Rick - Freeform, anger issues, but like platonic - Freeform, eventual angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25460233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltNPeppa/pseuds/SaltNPeppa
Summary: “Slowly, like he was prepared to get rejected, Morty’s small hand reached out, pausing when he felt the heat radiating from Rick’s skin. His eyes looked into Rick’s own, asking for silent permission.”Morty’s stand-in Rick proves to be a better companion and grandpa than Rick C-137. But what dark past is Rick B-140γη hiding? And how will Morty feel when his original Rick comes back after escaping the Galactic Federation prison?
Relationships: OC Rick Sanchez & Morty Smith, Rick Sanchez & Morty Smith
Comments: 25
Kudos: 57





	1. Maybe You Could Be Mine

After Rick had allowed himself to be incarcerated by the Federation, Morty hadn’t seen him in a year. 

Morty was happy he could actually attend school and see Jessica. Unfortunately, a bigger part of himself missed Rick’s antics. He always anticipated seeing Rick portal himself into the school hallways and drag Morty away from this reality. Every time he turned a corner at his school, his chest would tense, eager to see a green portal. Maybe Rick would even explain why he left. Why he  _chose_ to leave. Was prison better than spending time with his family? With Morty?

That night, Morty skipped out on completing his science homework, the chemistry problems melting together into senseless letters and numbers. Instead, Morty laid in bed, eyes gazing up at the ceiling of his room. He missed the stars. 

Whenever things were quiet like this, the boy felt a crushing sadness envelope his being. Rick destroyed everything in his way, sure, but he always gave Morty some otherworldly meaning. Nothing really matters, but Rick and Morty — they’re immortal. Rick and Morty for a hundred years. That’s what Rick always told him.

Swiping away a tear that escaped his eyes, Morty let the sadness wash over him, rolling onto his side to latch onto one of his pillows. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to distance himself from his current reality when a green light cascaded over his closed eyelids. Morty immediately sat up, confusion and excitement settling in his gut as the portal buzzed open in his room. He watched, eyes wide as Rick exited the portal. 

“Rick.” Morty whisper numbly, eyes blow like saucers at the sight. It couldn’t really be Rick, right? Here? In front of him? 

“Morty, uh, C-137,” Rick began, his eyes making contact with Morty’s brown ones. Morty immediately took notice of how the man’s right eye was clouded in gray, and the way a faded scar crossed his lips. On top of that, the man had two slits on one side of his brow, and a small mole on the left side of his chin.

“I’ve been assigned by the Citadel’s Morty Foundation to become your new Rick until further-further notice.” Rick said, the portal behind him closing, leaving the two staring at one another in the dark.

Morty swallowed the lump in his throat, mouth dry. “You’re not my Rick, then..?”

Rick shook his head, tucking the portal gun in his lab coat. He walked over, sitting beside Morty on his bed. “I’m Rick B-140γη.”

“O-oh..jeez, so he’s not coming back?” Morty asked, his words trailing off as a hollowness clouded his mind. He stared numbly at his hands. 

Rick placed a hand on Morty’s shoulder, the corner of his lip twitching in a small, encouraging smile. “Don’t know that yet. I’m here to stay until h-he does.”

“If he does.” Morty corrected quickly, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. He hardly felt the hand on his shoulder. He told himself he wouldn’t cry, and he hadn’t until now. Tears dripped down his cheeks. 

The Rick brushed a comforting thumb across one of boy’s tears, surprising Morty. 

“Can I touch you?” Rick asked carefully, causing Morty’s chest to swell in affection like never before. He gave a curt nod, sniffling grossly as he continued silently crying. Rick enveloped the boy in his arms, pressing the boy’s head into his warm shoulder with a hand.

Morty gripped onto the scientist’s lab coat, sobbing in an unfiltered manner. “I missed-missed you g-g-grandpa Rick.” Morty bit out, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

“I’m here, Morty.” Rick cooed, stroking the boy’s brown locks until he fell asleep against his body.

—

When Morty awoke in the morning, he felt infinitely better than last night. The dream he had sated some lonely part of his soul like a miracle cream or a tube of turbulent juice. 

After washing his face with a quick splash of water to wake up, he joined his family downstairs, pausing at the last step when he heard Beth laugh for the first time in a year’s time. Her snort of laughter jump started Morty’s heart. Like approaching a herd of deer, Morty stepped into the kitchen, eyes wide when he saw the Rick from last night sitting at the table with his family. 

When he saw Morty, waved at him, pulling out the chair nearby. Unmoving, Morty stood staring, blinking several times in shock. 

_Last night was real._

“Morty,” Beth grinned at the boy, a giddy tone to her voice. “This is Rick B-140γη. He’s a stand in for our Rick.”

Morty nodded robotically, remaining timidly standing at the doorway of the kitchen. Though this was just Rick, he was unfamiliar with him. He felt sheepish, like he were in the presence of a new family relative. 

Rick graciously filled in the silence, standing from his seat. “The eggs were delicious, baby. Best I’ve had in the galaxy.”

Beth squealed at the approval, smiling brightly at the man. 

“I think M-Morty and I need to bond a bit. It’s weird for him, I’m-I’m sure.” Rick reasoned empathetically, glancing at the boy. 

Morty nodded silently, the gesture ignored by everyone at the table. Jerry spoke up finally, chewing a bite of his eggs irritatedly. 

“We seriously don’t  need  another Rick around here! Things were starting to turn for the better!”

“Jerry, shut up!” Beth argued back, pointing her fork at the man. “Don’t ruin this like you ruined it last time. I won’t let you!”

“Last time?” Jerry asked, scowling. “Your own  _father_ left you on his own accord! I had nothing to do with it.”

Morty and Summer groaned in unison at the blossoming fight. Summer stood and left, phone in tow as she texted. Morty made eye contact with Rick, the older man’s head bobbing toward the direction of the garage before leaving. Morty waited a few seconds before following after him.

Clicking the door shut silently, Morty turned to face his new grandpa. Rick grinned at Morty, waving his portal gun. “Adventure time? I mean — not the-the show. It’s time for an adventure. You and me?”

Morty laughed, scratching his neck. “Um I-I..I wouldn’t mind an adventure. Where to?”

“Where do you wanna go?” Rick asked genuinely, surprising Morty. 

“M-Me? I get to pick? How come?”

Rick chuckled, brow quirking in amusement. “B-because you can? Because I’m letting you? Not everything needs a-a reason.”

“Well, uh, I’ve always wanted to revisit this-this one mushroom realm I saw with my original—“ Morty abruptly cut himself off, frown crossing his face. 

Rick leaned over, arm over Morty’s shoulder. He squeezed the boy close to himself, portal gun waving in his other hand. “I think I know that one. Let’s go to that d-dumbass mushroom realm, huh? Me and you. C’mon.”

Rick dialed in a set of coordinates before shooting a portal open. He then slid his hand down to grasp Morty’s own, walking through the portal together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider leaving a kudos and comment!


	2. Secrets Remain Untold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Morty come across unpleasant company.

Morty had one of the best weeks he’s had in a long time.

Morty’s new Rick took the boy out on an adventure every other day, letting Morty recoup his energy in planned intervals. On top of that, Rick B-140γη never took Morty out of school, waiting instead for his sidekick to complete the school day. 

When Morty would come back from school, Rick would usually be watching inter-dimensional T.V. with Summer, or drink wine with Beth and make sure she didn’t impair herself. Morty was seriously astonished. He never knew a Rick could be so far from an asshole.

“How was — how’s my little bud?” Rick asked when Morty entered the house one day after school. The older man glanced back from where he sat on the couch.

Morty grinned at man, holding up a crinkled paper in his hand. “Rick. I-I-I totally aced that science test! 91%, Rick!” 

“Ho, shit!” Rick shot up from the couch, walking over the where the boy stood to wrap an arm around him. He ruffled Morty’s hair messily as he spoke. “I knew you-you could it! Smartest Morty around!”

Morty laughed at the praise, hugging his arms around Rick’s waist, enjoying the close contact his Rick never would have allowed so easily. “Ah..o-oh jeez, Rick, I couldn’t have done it without you — without your help.”

Rick pulled away, giving one last ruffle to Morty’s brown hair. “Morty, kindly shut the fuck up. You applied everything on your own. I just nudged you in the right direction.”

“I always thought I was as dumb as-as a peanut, Rick. So this is really..I’m really happy!” Morty jumped where he stood, unable to hold back his excitement.

Rick kneeled down on one knee, placing a hand on Morty’s shoulder like he had done so many times before. “Morty your intellect is — it’s really something. One day you’ll be a great scientist, Morty. Gonna follow after y-your grandpa when I’m long gone.”

Morty couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes, a small smile cracking across his face. “Ah..jeez, Rick, I..”

Rick stood, holding a hand up to cease Morty’s words. “Accomplishments deserve rewards. Let’s go t-t-to that ice cream shop you liked so much.”

—

Morty’s hands were sticky from his ice cream melting over his fingers. He couldn’t help it. Rick knew just what to say to get Morty snorting like a pig from laughter. In fact, he nearly crushed the cone between his hand from all the laughing he had done.

The two sat across from one another on a booth at an alien ice cream parlor with a striking 80s diner aesthetic. Different tentacled aliens rollerbladed past them to pick orders from different costumers. 

When Morty has settled down from his sugar high, he felt his curiosity pique. 

“Hey, Rick?” Morty began, wiping his chocolate coated fingers on a nearby napkin just as he popped the remainder of his cone into his mouth. Rick gave a small hum, one hand propped on his chin and the other scribbling something down on a small notebook. 

“What’re you doing?”

“Writing.” Rick answered shortly, raising his eyes to look at the boy across from him. Morty gazed back into the content black orbs, almost in a trance from looking into the man’s clouded eye. Morty had wanted to ask what caused Rick to go blind in one eye, but he refrained from doing so. He didn’t want to impede on anything too personal yet. They had only really known each other for a week now. Rick would tell him when he was ready.

“What’re you writing? I-I-I mean, if you want to tell me.” Morty finished, lamely. Crushing the napkin between his hands sheepishly. 

Rick closed the notebook, setting the blue pen atop it. “It’s about a man and a boy.” 

“What happens?” Morty asked, more curious with the vague answer.

Rick let a small laugh escape him. The joyous sound was like music to Morty’s ears. 

“I don’t..don’t know yet.” Rick replied ominously.

Letting out a small huff in protest at the curt answer, Morty swung his legs lightly under the table, changing the topic. “I-I didn’t know you liked to write.”

“Better than drinking,” Rick leaned back into the booth’s cushion, arms splayed behind him. “I-it helps me maintain my negative feelings by turning them to — converting them into creativity.”

Now that Morty thought about it, he never spotted a flask anywhere near Rick. He neversmelled alcohol on the man’s breath either. With a small smile, Morty opened his mouth to praise the man, only to be interrupted by a familiar raspy voice.

“Sh-shittt. Is that B-140γη?”

Rick stared ahead, eyes hard. Morty winced in confusion, turning his head to follow Rick’s gaze. Two Rick’s had entered the diner, loud and obnoxious in their volume. The two pranced their way toward the pair, stopping to get a good look at Morty. The boy slumped in his seat, intimidated. The two Ricks wore identical Citadel guard uniforms that Morty recognized.

The two guards relished in the way Morty looked away, eyes instead trained down on the dirtied napkin between his hands. His Rick, however, continued to stare at the two men, brow quirking. 

“Sorry do you-you two cock-sticks need something?”

The two guards’ grins vanished, identical scowls on their expressions. The one on the left spoke, arms behind his back. 

“N-no need to be a cock sucker, dipshit.” 

“Yeah, shithead,” The other guard on the right supported. His frown quickly grew into a knowing smirk when he continued to talk. “Speaking of-of which, you on another date with a new Morty?”

B-140γη groaned at the remark, standing up and glancing at the seated boy. “Morty, let’s go.”

Morty nodded hastily, scooting out of the booth quickly. 

“You ever t-tell him  _how_ you went fucking-fucking blind in one eye? Huh? How you got that scar on your lip?” Morty heard of the guard Rick’s ask, voice overly loud. 

“Fuck. Off.” B-140γη hissed, eyes darting to Morty’s own, as if he were afraid the boy would hear something Rick wasn’t yet ready to share. 

“Leave..leave him alone!” Morty shouted, internally cursing himself for the trembling of his voice. 

All three Ricks paused their banter to look at Morty. The attention jumpstarted Morty’s heart.

When one of the guard Rick’s approached, Morty saw how B-140γη’s shoulders shot up, tension in his shoulders. The Rick grabbed Morty’s shoulder, the touch cold and harsh, so unlike his new Rick. Morty worried at his lower lip, willing himself to look at the older man’s face. Drool dribbled from the guard’s lips, a grin on his features. 

“M-Morty, Rick’s are never inherently good.” They’re either hiding it all from prying eyes o-or trying to make up for something  _really_ fucked up.” 

The buzzing sound of a portal opening caused both Morty and guard Rick to look back. B-140γη looked past the man, eyes pinned on Morty’s. 

“We’re done here. Let’s go, Morty.  Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider leaving a kudos and comment!


	3. Opening Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick B-140γη lets himself become vulnerable.

When the two returned from their adventure, the moonlight shone brightly in the sky, its light muted by the fluorescent lighting of the open garage.

“Rick?” Morty said carefully, reaching out to comfort the older man, hand pausing in uncertainty as it hovered above the older man’s back.

Rick was leaning over the garage counter, hands planted down firmly as he stood tensely. Moments after the two teleported back home, B-140γη refused to look at the boy, standing like a statue; unmoving. Morty could hear how Rick’s breath came out in short, unnatural spurts, as if he were hyperventilating.

“R-Rick?” Morty voiced again, brows shooting up in concern at the display. “D-don’t let what those guys said get t-to you. It doesn’t matter how you look, I—“ 

“Shut the fuck up Morty!” 

As soon as the sentence left him, Rick paused, distress twisting his features when he realized with stunned silence what he had said. He whipped his head back to look at Morty, who had taken several steps back like he had been shocked by electricity.

Morty’s mouth hung open in surprise at the sudden outburst, eyes blown wide. He scolded himself for forgetting that this was  Rick  he was dealing with. All Ricks were the same — never allowing anyone close no matter the circumstance. Every Rick built an emotional wall between them and the rest of the world. Every Rick was emotionally constipated.

Morty was stupid for thinking he could be an exception to that.

“Morty, I-I didn’t mean..” Rick began, cutting himself off when Morty let out a sob. The sound crushed Rick’s heart, making his stomach churn when he knew he was the reason behind it.

Morty gave one last look at the scientist, frozen in his tracks until Rick began approaching him. The boy took one step back toward the door before turning and dashing out of the garage, slamming the door behind him as he made his hasty escape.

“Morty..” Rick said again, the sound coming out in a wheezing whisper and falling on deaf ears. The way Morty’s eyes shone under the garage’s florescent light; Rick recognized it as a precursor to a promise of tears.

He left the garage, eager to speak with Morty. After walking upstairs, taking two eager steps at a time, Rick paused at Morty’s room. The quiet hallway shrouded him with its dark shadows. With the smallest amount of hesitance, Rick gave the door a small knock with his knuckles, refusing to stop and think of the right words before doing so.

Unsurprisingly, he was greeted with only silence.

Clearing his throat, Rick opened and closed his mouth several times, trying yet failing to form the correct connection of words. He was never good at rawly expressing himself. He was even worse at apologizing to others. 

With a deep inhale, Rick leaned against the door, his temple pressed to the barrier. The best way to be emotionally honest was to stop thinking so logically about it.

“I’m not good with my words, sometimes,” Rick admitted, closing his eyes as he spoke. “W-which is odd, because I can create portals to other dimensions. But somehow I have trouble stringing a couple of sounds together.”

Morty sat up in his bed, pulling his knees up to his chest as he listened. He wiped his wet eyes to see past the blurriness of his vision, leaning his back against the creaking headboard of his bed.

“I know I’m not perfect, Morty. Perfection is a subjective concept s-stupid people with a big ego believe in,” Rick stopped himself before he began ranting, eyes gazing up at the hallway’s ceiling, searching for stars that didn’t exist. “All my life, I’ve searched for a meaning — a reason — to my life. That hollowing feeling, it-it ends when you’re introduced to the picture. If perfection existed, it would be that. It would be you. ”

Morty swallowed the lump in his throat, inching off his bed until his feet touched the carpet. He carefully made his way to the door, pressing his ear to it as he listened to Rick. His breaths came out soft and shallow despite his occasional teary hiccups. 

A small thud could be heard from behind the door as Rick sat on the floor in the dark hallway, back leaning against the barrier. He let his head bob back against the door lazily, eyes slipping shut once again.

“That story I was working on — the one about a man and a boy — maybe we could come up with an ending to it together someday. What’d you say Morty?”

When the door to Morty’s room suddenly opened, Rick fell back onto the floor, blinking as he gazed up at the boy in question. 

Morty stared back down at the man, a small, touched smile on his face. “Rick, don’t give yourself a hemorrhoid,” he teased, holding his hand out for the older man to take. “Just-just shut up and get in here.”

Rick let out an amused snort, standing up with the help of his companion. When the two finally sat on Morty’s bed, an awkwardness hung in the air.

Slowly, like he was prepared to get rejected, Morty’s small hand reached out, pausing when he felt the heat radiating from Rick’s skin. His eyes looked into Rick’s own, asking for silent permission. When B-140γη gave a small nod, Morty began tracing a finger along the scar that cut down across Rick’s lips. The older man watched on silently, eyes softening when he witnessed traces of fascination dance across Morty’s eyes. The same fascination he had once seen in his own eyes during his younger years.

Gradually, Morty became more bold, fingers skimming across Rick’s face, up to feel the slits in his brow, down to graze the small mole on his chin, until finally, they paused under Rick’s eyes, laying gingerly against his dark circles. 

Morty lifted his eyes to meet Rick’s own, speaking softly. “You’d rather stay partially blind than heal the past away forever?”

Rick gave a nod, tension rolling across his body like waves. “You can hide the past Morty, but you can’t just heal it away,” Rick’s eyes cast downward, shame adorning his features. “E-even now, I don’t like to look at my reflection. I’m selfish.”

Peeling his hand away from the other’s wrinkled face, Morty leaned against Rick, resting his head against his shoulder. The feeling was foreign to him. He was never allowed such affectionate touches with his old Rick. Morty almost felt guilty at the fact he no longer missed the man. 

“Your not selfish.” Morty announced finally, the close proximity a luxury he never wanted to leave. 

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I’ve done.” B-140γη began arguing until Morty clamped a hand over his mouth, surprising Rick into silence.

“I-I don’t have to know what you’ve done, Rick. I just know who you are now. And you’re not selfish,” Morty answered, hand moving away from Rick’s lips. “And, y’know? Maybe that story didn’t start off a happy one, but..but a good adventure needs a good ending, right?”

Rick tossed an arm around Morty, pulling him closer against his body. 

“I think you’re onto something, bud.”


	4. Announced Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morty seeks to find fragments of Rick’s identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I update at impossibly high speeds because of you guys! You’re all awesome as shit!

Sometimes in the middle of the quiet night, Morty would be roused from his sleep, eager for a glass of warm milk. He would drowsily shuffle through the hallway, one eye cracked open and the other tightly shut in a drowsy attempt to navigate the silent home. Every time he passed Rick’s bedroom, a bluish-white light leaked through the slightly cracked open door, creating a slit of light across one of the walls of the hallway.

Morty could always hear hushed speaking. Tonight — as any night — Morty would try yet fail to make anything coherent out, his mind too jumbled with sleep to try very hard.

But tonight was somehow different. Morty couldn’t will himself to leave, B-140γη’s unnaturally harsh tone making the boy instinctively panic. 

“What-what do you  _mean_ he’s just gone?” Morty heard Rick say to someone else. The static-y sounding reply pushed Morty to assume he was talking to someone on some kind of device.

“I-I-I don’t know  _how_. If I did — If any of us did — we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” The voice replied to Rick, sounding a lot like a Morty. “We have no traces on him, either. Bastard kidnapped one of the Morty guards. For all we know he could be in that very dimension.”

Rick’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, voice raising to dangerously loud volumes until it dropped into a hiss. “I was assigned to Morty C-137 until Rick C-137 was  _lawfully_ released. I’m under no obligation to j-just hand Morty over when that terrorist’s unlawfully escaped under the Galactic Federation’s nose.”

Morty C-137 felt his stomach clench at the mention of his grandpa returning. Knowing him, Rick could easily plan to take Morty and bail on this dimension, the likelihood of that occurring only increased considering he was still a wanted man. The Feds would be on Rick’s tail within minutes if he remained in this dimension. 

But Morty also questioned what reason Rick C-137 would even come back for. It’s not like anyone was important to the man, right? A ping of fear made Morty’s heart pick up, realization dawning on him.

Rick would come back and take Morty so that the older man’s brainwaves would be concealed. He would be untraceable, then. That’s likely why he kidnapped a Morty guard in the first place. He wouldn’t need that Morty once he got his hands on his own Morty. 

With his heart banging against his eardrums, Morty leaned closer, one of his eyes peeking through the crack of the door. There, he saw B-140γη, back facing Morty as he gazed up at the blue hologram in front of him. On the projection was a Morty, dressed in a white uniform, adorned with gold embroideries. On his left shoulder was a gold pin. 

“Sa-save your ass is all I’m saying,” The Morty said, arms behind his back as he stood straight, peering through the screen at Rick. “You were a criminal once, too. On top of that, you’re a Rick. You know how this is going-going to play out. Save yourself the trouble and leave. T-t-there are always other Mortys.”

B-140γη ground his jaw, turning off the projection abruptly by sliding out what looked like an ID card from the small square device used to create the projection. Morty jolted away from the door at the sight, quickly yet quietly inching back to his bedroom. Just as he clicked the door to his room shut, he heard Rick’s bedroom door creak open further.

Morty jumped into his bed, shuffling under his sheets and stilling his body once he turned on his side, facing away from his door. His body pulsed in fear, wondering if Rick had heard him. His eyes remained wide open, his previous sleepiness ripped away from him. 

He feared the possibility of his original Rick coming back and taking Morty. They would be on the run forever. Morty would never see his family again, never see Jessica, never see.. B-140γη. 

When the door to his room opened, Morty went rigid for a moment before he forced himself to let out controlled, rhythmic breaths, pretending to be asleep. His eyes remained wide open, staring at the white wall in front of his face.

Morty knew it was B-140γη by the way he walked, silent yet heavy in his steps. The sounds paused right beside the left side of Morty’s bed, behind the boy’s turned body. Morty nearly pissed himself thinking — nearly  _sensing_ —  that Rick somehow knew Morty heard sensitive information. 

A few minutes felt like an eternity with Rick standing there silently, watching Morty sleep. The scene was straight out of horror movie. Morty internally begged for Rick to leave, his fists curling to clench onto his sheets until his knuckles whitened.

He heard Rick’s feet shuffle toward the bedroom door, clicking it closed. When Morty no longer heard any noise, he almost turned to make sure the older man was gone. But his stomach clenched instinctively at the thought. Something about Morty’s inability to hear anything was weird. The silence was  too  deafening. Trusting his gut, the boy remained in his position, ears continuing to strain for any indication Rick was still there.

The door finally reopened after a couple of seconds before clicking closed once again. This time, Rick’s steps could be heard walking down the hallway until he entered his own bedroom.

With rising horror, Morty realized B-140γη had initially only pretended he had left, standing by the door, eyes trained on the boy to see if he was truly asleep or awake and stupid enough to look back over his shoulder.

The realization chilled Morty to the bone, resulting in him staying awake the rest of the night, eyes open wide and body stiff until the early morning. The paralyzing fear seemed to have knocked the boy out without his recollection, he discovered.

Morty sat up slowly, rubbing his groggy eyes to brush away all the sleep. When he glanced at the alarm clock beside his head, he found it was late in the afternoon. Hurriedly, he made his way to the bathroom, splashing his face water and brushing his teeth before slowly his stride, making his way downstairs. Summer laid sprawled on the couch, texting with a flat expression her face.

“Where’s Rick?” Morty asked her, peeking over the couch to look at her.

Summer gave a disinterested shrug, eyes glued to the screen of her phone. “He said he’d be gone for like, an hour or something for errands.”

Morty nodded silently, peeking into the kitchen to find it vacant of his mom. He assumed she went in for work today. Quickly, the boy ran back upstairs, pushing open the door to Rick’s bedroom. The room was shrouded in darkness due to the absence of a window, and the air smelled like dust.

Last night almost seemed like a dream. Or more accurately, a nightmare. Morty was here to make sure it wasn’t. Or, at least, he convinced himself of that reason to lessen the guilt he felt of snooping around without Rick’s knowledge.

Entering the room, Morty began his search, looking for the contraption he saw Rick using last night. He dropped to his knees, looking through the various boxes labeled, ‘Rick’s Stuff.’ Inching his way upwards, the boy then searched underneath the white pillows, making sure thoroughly check inside the covers, feeling for any hidden zippers or sewed pockets. Finally, Morty moved his search to the nightstand, looking through the messy drawers which contained unlabeled wires and unmarked metal parts. His fingers inspected each corner of the drawer, scanning for any possible secrets until his middle finger bumped against a small divot on the bottom of the drawer.

Triumphantly, Morty ducked down, looking at the bottom of the first drawer. He frowned, seeing the secretly hidden compartment was screwed shut. Morty would need a screwdriver to get to the items. 

Skipping downstairs to the garage like he had a timed bomb strapped to his body, Morty hurried through the door, pausing in his steps when he came face-to-face with Rick B-140γη. The older man looked like he had just came back from whatever errand he was attending to.

Rick quirked a brow at the nervous boy. “Morty? Di-did you need something?”

Morty flailed his arms around sheepishly, trying to keep his eyes away from the screwdriver sitting atop of the counters, just behind Rick. 

“No!” He lied, “I-I was just looking for you.”

Rick didn’t look convinced, but Morty interrupted the man before he could rebuttal. 

“Where were you?”

“The Citadel.” Rick replied, more honest than Morty expected. He tucked his portal gun inside his lab coat, glancing at the boy. 

Morty cleared his throat, cursing himself for how sweaty his palms were. If he kept this up, Rick would no doubt know something was up — if he didn’t know already.

“A-are you going to go again anytime soon?”

Rick snorted, placing a hand on Morty’s shoulder. “What? Trying — you trying to get rid of me, Morty?”

Morty let out a forced laugh, shaking his head, unable to speak in fear of his voice trembling. Rick moved past Morty, glancing back at the boy. 

“Well?” Rick said, expectingly. “C’mon. Let’s go watch some inter-dimensional TV.” 

Morty decided he would come back later to retrieve a screwdriver, the promise of unlocking B-140γη’s identity motivated Morty to remain patient. He gave one last look at the screwdriver before leaving with Rick. 

So close yet so far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been dabbling with this pair and wrote a little ‘mini adventure’ short fic. It’s called: [Cycles of Life](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25523287). There will certainly be more of these! I think of it as additional little adventures Rick B-140γη and Morty have together that we don’t see here.


	5. The Ol’ Switcheroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morty watches Rick B-140γη’s past play out through one of his extracted, frequently visited memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one /hard/ chapter to execute! I hope it wasn’t confusing or boring. Next chapter should focus on the current present!
> 
> Also, the rating was bumped to ‘mature’ because this chapter contains descriptions of violence.

“I’ll give you twenty dollars to keep Rick company today.” Morty bargained with Summer, watching as his sister turned to face the boy, a hand propped on her hip. She eyed him up and down with a deadpan expression on her face.

“Why would I do that?”

“I-it doesn’t matter why, _Summer_ ,” Morty said, taking his wallet out from the back pocket of his jeans. “$50  and  I’ll do your laundry for a day.” 

“Make it a week.” Summer said, smirk on her face. 

Morty huffed, slapping five $10 bills in her sister’s hand. “F-fine. But you have to leave now. And keep him distracted for as long as you can.”

Summer pulled out the sucker she had nestled in her cheek, tossing it in the nearby trash as she left the kitchen to the garage where Rick was currently preoccupying. “Mhm, whatever.”

Morty waited by the door of the garage, hearing the muffled speaking between Rick and Summer. Within five minutes, Morty could hear the buzzing of a portal being shot open, then silence. He made sure to crack open the garage door first and peek through the small crack he made to make sure the area was indeed vacant. When the coast was clear, Morty burst into the garage, heading straight to the screwdriver he saw yesterday and taking it with him upstairs to Rick’s room.

With shaky anticipation, Morty took direct strides toward the same nightstand as yesterday, pulling open the first drawer before bending down to find the screw that needed to be undone. The boy quickly undid the screw, cursing every now and then when his shaky hands caused him to fidget and delay opening the compartment.

When the screwdriver slipped from Morty’s sweaty palms, he thankfully no longer needed the tool. Giving the bottom of the drawer a gentle press upward, the false wooden bottom clicked open, allowing Morty to slide the barrier out of the way and reach into the waiting contents. 

Surprisingly, Morty didn’t find the small metal device Rick had been using last night. Rather, a small red tube dropped onto the carpet followed by a photo. Morty first picked up the photo, pulling it closer to his face to examine it. 

The small laminated photo was one of a Morty and his Rick. The Rick had his arm comfortably slung over the shorter boy’s shoulders. The way the older man’s fingers brushed the Morty’s collarbone with the tips of his fingers — it seemed familiar. And that familiarity made C-137’s heart pick up just a little at what that feeling could mean.

When Morty flipped over the photo, smeared black pen wrote, ‘forget me.’

The sight unsettled Morty to his core, making him quickly set the photo down to instead inspect the strange tube filled with red liquid. At first, Morty thought it was a sealed test tube. But upon further inspection, he noticed how the bottom of the otherwise rounded tube had outward jutting parts. That led him to believe it was suppose to latch onto something, or insert into some part.

A lightbulb went off in Morty’s head at the discovery, making him shoot up onto his feet and travel downstairs with the tube in hand. His heart pounded against his rib cage, dizzying as his mind traveled several miles a minute, unable to remain on one singular thought. He sucked in his lower lip, praying to whatever god existed that Summer kept up her part of the bargain. 

Morty couldn’t afford to get caught now. 

He swiped the sweat pooling on his forehead with his forearm, bending down to check in each cabinet of Rick’s garage. His breaths came out in short pants, whether that be because the fear of what he would find about B-140γη’s past, or the possibility of getting caught — Morty wasn’t entirely sure. Regardless, adrenaline coursed through his body, pricking his body like needles.

Morty almost screamed in success when he found the mind-blowers helmet his original Rick had showed him years ago. The red tube would perfectly slip into the helmet’s waiting receiver.

Not wanting to mess up this opportunity, Morty traveled to the upstairs bathroom, moving toward it more slowly than ever. 

His heart yelled at him, emphasizing how this level of prying only showcased how untrusting of B-140γη Morty was. Despite the older man taking Morty on adventures, and helping him with his homework, and making sure his mom didn’t drink too much. 

Morty paused outside the bathroom, looking at the two items in his hands. He nearly retreated, putting everything back where they belonged and acting like he never saw a thing; remaining blissfully unaware. But his brain yelled at him, rationalizing his need to know Rick’s unspoken past. If he didn’t act now, he won’t have another chance again.

So Morty quickly locked himself in the bathroom before he could change his mind, sitting on the tiled floor beside the toilet. He clicked the red tube into the empty space found on helmet, twisting it into place after it was inserted. He took a deep, anxious inhale, placing the helmet on his head. Immediately, his eyes rolled back, his mind diving into a memory that wasn’t his.

—

“Y-ouughh-ou know the plan, right?” Rick asked again, one hand holding his flask, the other on the steering mechanism of the ship. 

Morty gave a small hum in approval, eyes trained on the small GPS device device in his hands. “Ah huh.”

Rick grinned, switching the ship on autopilot to lean over and watch the blinking GPS, their ship slowly cruising toward their destination. 

“I can’t believe you tracked down a whole ship full of Naylin crystals,” Rick said, arm slung over Morty. “Those suckers are hard to conjure without some complex tech, and e-even harder to find. One crystal would give my portal gun double the charge. Imagine what we co-could do with a truckload, Morty! Imagine!”

With a sigh, Morty glanced at Rick, an unimpressed look, his eyes dancing with an additional emotion the scientist had never seen before. 

“I wish you-you would stop drinking so much, Rick. Your breath stinks.”

Rick grunted, leaning away from the boy beside him, brow furrowed. “But I brushed my teeth.”

“Your breath stinks of  _alcohol_.”  He emphasized, eyes looking down at the blinking green dot on the GPS. His grip increased in intensity, squeezing the device in his hands when he changed the subject.

“M-maybe the life of crime — maybe we shouldn’t live like this anymore, Rick.”

“The fuck?” Rick bit back, turning fully to stare down his companion. “You’re n-oughh-t into this anymore?”

“I want to go to-to school and argue with Summer, and lay in my own bed, and dream about Jessica.” Morty answered, tense when Rick switched the ship from autopilot, looking ahead at the black void of space. Even through the silence, Morty kept his head dipped down, watching Rick from past his lashes.

“I thought it was Rick and Morty forever?” The older man said finally, the sentence coming out slightly pouty and childish.

“Does it have to be, Rick?” Morty questioned, voice heavy of emotion.

“Why can’t it b—“

“Because I’m not that bright eyed, n-naïve kid anymore, Rick!” Morty yelled, interrupting Rick’s inquiry. His voice dropped in volume as he closed his eyes. Rick watched the scene, noticing how  aged Morty looked for a fourteen year old. “And I’m tired of you robbing me of my life just because you can’t bare to live yours.”

When Rick landed the ship at their destination, he dug into the duffel bag beside his feet, taking out what looked like a glove with metal claws, each no shorter than 6 inches. The tips of each blade were narrow and extremely sharp. 

Rick wrenched one of Morty’s hands close, slipping on the glove with unspoken anger and hurt. 

“It’s made out of nanomesh, Morty. I used your exact hand measurements to m-make sure it fit you and didn’t slide off or cut off your blood circulation.” The scientist explained, eyes never meeting that of the boy’s, instead focused on adjusting the glove. “When you use it, it triggers a mechanism that makes the tips of each blade hot. We’re going to use this to get in and out.”

Morty nodded numbly, grimacing at Rick’s cold tone.

“And once we’re out, you-you can do whatever you want. You can stick around, or you can leave. I won’t decide for you anymore.” Rick finished, exiting the ship before Morty could reply.

Morty’s eyes widened, frozen in his seat until he violently jerked himself out the ship, grabbing at Rick’s coat with his free hand.

“R-Rick, I don’t think—“

Rick ripped his arm away from Morty’s grip, ducking into a nearby alleyway. The boy hastily followed, heart clenched in fear. 

Rick walked through the dark, shady alleyway like he owned it. The nighttime hid their bodies well, making their progression go by smoothly. When the older man stopped by an unmarked back door, he turned to look at Morty, expectantly.

Morty stood stupidly, feet pointed toward one another unconfidently.

“Morty, the glove. Use the fucking gl-oouugh-ove.” Rick hissed venomously between a belch, brow raising at his companion’s slowness.

With a nervous swallow, Morty waddled toward the black double doors, pressing one of the metal claws against it. Instantaneously, the doors sparked in blazing hot red and white. Morty began creating an opening, the metal giving way like butter.

Rick’s eyes glowed maniacally under the hot sparks, a grin cracking across his face. As soon as Morty completed his task, Rick kicked the loose metal out, sliding into the building gracefully. Morty on the other hand struggled inside, his fidgeting causing his shirt to touch the hot edges of the fresh cuts, nearly lighting the yellow fabric on fire. He patted away the heat, leaving a charcoaled stain on his clothing.

“Maybe w-we shouldn’t be here, Rick.” Morty protested, following after the neglectful man who blatantly ignored the boy.

Rick snagged the boy’s wrist, dull nails biting into Morty’s wrist as they ducked behind a corner when a guard passed by. Not a moment later, Rick jogged down the hallway, forcing Morty to sprint to stay close. The two stopped by a towering metal vault, one with clichè hissing green lasers guarding it. Rick let the boy go, rolling his eyes as he unearthed a contraption from the breast pocket of his lab coat. 

The device latched onto the vault’s nearby panel with tight metal hinges, making sparks fly as the lasers shortcircuted with an audible pop. Rick then turned to look at the boy, eyes narrowed.

“Morty, this is way too easy,” Rick said suspiciously, walking to the vault to begin turning the large metal knob. “If we don’t see anything i-in that vault, we run. We run and we don’t look back.” 

Morty stood behind Rick, hands shaky as he watched the vault open loudly, the whining of the metal deafening.

The next moment happened within a blink of an eye. As if on cue, Rick felt himself get shoved forward, stumbling onto his knees. His eyes feasted on the empty insides of the vault before he turned wide eyes to Morty, who stood behind him, clicking the vault shut. The sound of an automatic lock echoed against Rick’s eardrums, mouth agape in confusion.

“In position.” He heard Morty say before slipping out a transparent ear piece from the inside of his ear. 

“I-I’m sorry, Rick, I tried to talk you out of it.” Morty reasoned, eyes apologetic when he let the ear piece fall to the floor, the small clink like a pin dropping. 

“What did you do?” Rick whispered, eyes ablaze with anger; disbelief.

Morty rubbed at his arm, pressing his back to the vault’s locked door silently. He cast his eyes away. 

Rick’s body jerked forward in the awakening sting of betrayal, eyes glued to the boy. Lurching himself forward and swaying on his feet, Rick’s hands twitched, itching for skin.

Morty watched now, pure fear on his face. He pressed himself further against the metal barrier, his legs squeezing together tightly as his pants began darkening. “I’m sorry, Rick. I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” He chanted, Rick’s eyes trailing to Morty’s wetted pants, disgruntled.   
  


Before Morty could breathe, Rick launched himself forward, hands wrenching themselves around Morty’s throat. 

Morty wheezed at the sudden move, getting dragged down to the floor by Rick. The older man moved atop Morty, straddling the boy’s hips down and pinning him with his weight. Morty gargled under the invasive grip, eyes blow wide when black dotted his receding vision. 

Rick peered down at the boy, eyes wild and mouth moving inaudibly. Finally, when Morty’s hearing came back to the present, ceasing their ringing, he realized the man was speaking — screaming wildly. 

“What did you do, Morty?! WHAT DID YOU DO?” Rick’s voice cracked like a painful whip as it rose, his hands raising from Morty’s neck to instead grip his head between his grip and begin pounding his skull against the hard floor. Morty felt his brain rattle, swinging his hands in a disoriented fashion at the man above him.

Blood seeping from Morty’s nostrils like a sprinkler, the boy desperately swiped the clawed glove he had long forgotten about at the man above, one of it’s metal fingers successfully catching against Rick’s face, sliding through skin and searing through skin to create scars. The disoriented slash cut through the skin of his lips, his opened eye, and a part of his brow in fragmented, inconsistent deep gashes. 

Like an animal with an insatiable appetite for blood, Rick only barely flinched, hands rolling down to cup Morty’s cheeks. 

“No one crosses me,” He said, drool dropping on the boy’s face, trailing down his chin. He would never forget the expression on the boy’s face. “Not even  _you,_ Morty.” Then, without a moment’s hesitance, Rick’s thumbs pressed into the boy’s wide eyes, nails digging into the fleshy sockets, trying to gouge his eyes out with his mere fingers.

He would have succeed if it weren’t for a laser shooting right through his left shoulder, his clothing burning and his skin bubbling from its heat. Blood spurted from the wound, oozing down to douse his coat in sticky dark red. 

Rick yelped from hit, his shot arm giving out on him and going slack. A rough arm behind him pulled him into a headlock and wrestled him off Morty. All Rick could hear was screaming — blood curtailing screaming from Morty. The boy flailed on the floor, arms reaching upward toward nothing in particular as he screwed his blood-shot eyes closed, red liquid seeping from past his lids.

Rick’s arms were wrenched behind his body, face pressed against the cold vault floor. The contact made his wounds pulse with pain. 

“Rick J-187β,” the Rick standing in front of him began, eyes trained distastefully on him. The Rick wore sleek, black gear, a gun in his hand. “You are under arrest for trespassing government property. Forty counts of burglary, twenty-five counts of aggravated battery, and,” The policemen paused, glancing at the boy who was being tended to by two additional officers. “One count of aggravated assault.”

Morty set him up, Rick realized. Morty set up a  _sting operation_ so that Rick could rot in jail forever. That way, the boy could easily return to his mundane life without Rick, free of his previous charges by helping catch Rick. 

The cop who had him in a headlock sneered, choking Rick out with more power, making his throat ache from the constraint until he was promptly flipped over onto his stomach and handcuffed. He let his body go slack, eyes downcast with shame.  _So much shame_.  His legs dragged behind him even as he was carried out the building and into a ship to get transported to a Citadel jail.

Life in prison was a hell. Within the first week, Rick’s crimes circulated, becoming the popular topic of gossip. Many alien inmates disregarded Rick, but there were unfortunately a few other Ricks incarcerated for petty crimes. When it was discovered Rick J-187β nearly killed his Morty, he was targeted and beat in the showers, in the courtyard, and in his own bed. He stayed sane by writing in a notebook. Promises of different adventures he would experience when he left.

Desperate, Rick bribed one of the prison guards. 

“B-before the court date,” J-187β said, eyes wild and desperate. “I n-need you to hack into the prison’s database and switch my file with another Rick. Everything changes but my photo. Got it?”

The guard hummed, eyeing the man up and down suggestively. “Wha-aooug-t’s in it for me?”

Rick ignored the disgusting look, instead, letting his tongue unroll from his mouth. He unscrewed his tongue piercing and handed it to the man past the bars that separated them. “Premium Gzelorian metal.” He said confidently, a smirk on his face. 

The guard hummed in approval, eyeing the barbell before pointing at the piercings trailing down Rick’s ears. “Don’t ch-cheap out on me. I’m doing you a big favor.”

Rick groaned, undoing his double helix piercings and handing the metal rings to the man. The guard grinned, pocketing the jewelry as his brow rose gleefully. “Consider it done.”

From then on, Rick counted the days down to his court hearing, avoiding any mirrors he came across to keep from observing the scars on his face and killing himself when freedom was right around the corner.

When his court hearing came, he was shackled, his ankles bound by a short chain and separated by a small metal rod. His hands were also cuffed together with a glowing metal material. It buzzed uncomfortably against his skin, sending the feeling of a small, unnerving vibration that reverberated through his bones and across his teeth. 

Two guards guided him to a podium, allowing him to stand before a Morty judge. The boy sighed exasperated, his eyes briefly skimming the detailed report in front of him before looking up at Rick.

Rick nearly threw up from his developing nerves, hoping with every ounce of his being that his bribery went through. 

“Rick B-140γη. You’ve been tried on three counts of burglary. Whats your verdict?”

“Guilty.” Rick said, swallowing down the excitement bubbling in his chest. 

The judge nodded, signing one of the documents before him as he spoke. “Y-y-you are to complete 5 years of community service at the Citadel Morty Foundation, B-140γη. You will fill in for missing Ricks until a permanent replacement is due.” He explained firmly, turning and already reaching for another file.

Rick was ushered out by two guards, making eye contact with another Rick entering the courtroom. The man thrashed and yelled gruffly, irritation and a dash of fear in his eyes. “I-I’m not fu-fucking J-187β! I’m B-140γη, you stupid, unorganized assfucks!”

The guards wrestled the other into a chair, holding him down by his shoulders as the Morty’s face twisted in disgust. “J-187β. Reading your crimes would be a w-waste of breath and my time. I hereby sentence you to  _life_. You will be promptly transferred to the Galactic Federation prison.”

The sound of the echoing gavel sealed Rick’s freedom and doomed another. The heavy court doors closed soon after, a joyful laugh bubbling out of the new B-140γη, excitement radiating through his being.

One day he would pray at the altar of his sins. But not today, bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve written another ‘mini adventure’ with this beautiful pair. This time, Rick and Morty bond through playing some guitar. It’s called: [Melody of the Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580995)


	6. Change

When Morty came back to his present reality, he felt disoriented. The sound of a persistent knocking on the bathroom door flooded his ears, but he remained stationary on the bathroom floor, stunned, scared, and somewhat feeling betrayed. 

“-ty? Morty!” He heard Rick yell past the door, then the sound of the scientist’s gun going off before the handle of the bathroom door was blown off.

Morty stayed where he was, feeling oddly level-headed from the trauma he witnessed. He took the mind-blower helmet off himself, unlatching the red tube and staring at it. That was the exact moment when Rick burst through the door, expecting to find Morty in the middle of getting kidnapped by C-137. The otherwise unexpected sight of Morty holding a familiar red tube shocked him into stillness.

Morty’s eyes lifted to look at B-140γη — or more accurately, J-187β.The shock that fogged the older man’s eyes made Morty’s body break out in a thin sheen of cold sweat.

“ _Morty_.” Rick bit in warning, pleading for an explanation, his eyes trailing to the red tube the boy was holding. 

“So you’re-you’re just a cold-blooded criminal. A Morty beater.” Morty said abruptly, the sentence coming off in the tone of a statement rather than a question.

And that absolutely  _killed_ Rick, his heart wrenching in a pain he hadn’t visited in a while.

Rick clenched his fists tightly, anger faintly flushing his face red. When the man took a step toward Morty, he saw the way the boy flinched backwards, fear swimming in those pools of black. 

But Morty refused to stop. Refused to be silenced. “Y-y-you’re not even who you said you are! You-you’re not B-140γη! Your..your J-187β!”

When Rick took another step forward toward the cowering boy, Morty clenched the red tube in his hand, ensuring atighter grip; protective of it. He closed his eyes tightly at the sight of Rick balling his fist up and reeling it back, expecting to get socked and accepting the punishment.

But the sound of the mirror above him shattering made him flinch and open his eyes in shock.

“Don’t  _call_ me that!” Rick roared, his fist coming back bloodied from the broken glass. He swiped everything off the bathroom counter with an arm in a wave of anger, the various hair products, toothbrushes, and soap clattering to the floor, some of them hitting Morty.

Propping his hands down on the empty bathroom counter, Rick glared at his reflection, his dark eyebags accentuated. The cracked and missing pieces of glass distorted his image, revealing the monster that lay dormant in his soul.

“I’m B-140γη,” He said, trying to convince himself. “I’m B-140γη,” He repeated again, whispering. “B-140γη.”

Morty shook where he sat, his quivering increasing tenfold when Rick turned to meet the boy’s eyes. His eyes were blown wide, anger and untreated trauma blinding him.

“Why do you-you have this? Why extract something like this from yourself only to keep it a-around?” Morty asked, voice trembling as he asked. But he kept his eyes gazing into Rick’s, ceasing to allow himself to look away.

“Because ma-maybe I hate myself Morty. Or-or maybe I just want to remember how my world stopped turning in vivid detail.” Rick replied, voice gruff and cold. Colder than Morty had ever heard. Flashes of Rick nearly killing his Morty made the boy visibly cringe.

Before Rick could react, Morty lifted his arm up and threw the red tube against the adjacent wall of the bathroom with every ounce of strength he had, adrenaline certainly helping. The glass shattered upon impact, red liquid exploding everywhere. Rick’s mouth fell agape in shock until he fell onto his knees, trying to hold onto the liquid that kept seeping through his fingers. 

“Remembering is-is torture enough, Rick. I won’t let you keep revisiting a memory just to keep pitying yourself!” Morty yelled, tears flooding his eyes at the pathetic desperation B-140γη was displaying.

“If I don’t feel bad for myself, who will?” Rick argued, the statement sounding pitiful even to himself. He clenched his empty hands, giving up on trying to save the shattered memory spilled on the floor.

“You don’t have t-t-to keep rewatching something like that. You’ll never be able to move past—“ Morty said, trailing off when Rick glanced back at him venomously, eyes lit up like they were on fire. 

“I’ll move on when I rot in Hell,” Rick said, standing up with his body swaying. He leaned back over the bathroom counter, grabbing onto the plasma gun he used to break into the bathroom.

“And you’re coming — I’m taking you with me. Get up.” He finished, turning to look at the mortified boy. When Morty defiantly stayed where he sat, Rick reached down, yanking the boy on his feet by his yellow shirt.

Morty gave a frightened whimper, eyes trained on Rick’s. The older man gazed back, an unreadable expression on his face. Morty almost didn’t recognize the man he had spent so much time with. Almost.

“T-the garage. Go.” Rick bit sharply, shoving Morty ahead with a hand against his shoulder, plasma gun on his back. Morty stiffly made his way downstairs, the press of the gun on his spine unnerving. 

“Where-where are we going? Where’s Summer?” He asked, the question falling on deaf ears. When he glanced back to look at Rick, the man smacked the butt of his gun against his temple. 

Morty winced, the hit making his brain ring even when Rick purposely didn’t put much momentum behind it. When the two made it to the garage, Rick kicked the door closed with the back of his foot, his shoulders slouching.

“Where are we going, Rick?” Morty questioned once again when the older man pulled the gun away from the boy’s back, moving over to the ship and removing the black cloth covering it. Morty was debating whether or not he should run, but a deeper part of him knew he wouldn’t make it far. 

Rick had his back momentarily turned to Morty, opening the ship’s door. He clearly didn’t think of the boy as much of a threat. Morty took this chance to shuffle backward, eyes remaining on the man in front of him. He grabbed onto the first tool he could feel on the work tables and hid it behind his back. The tool felt long and the bite of cold indicated it was metal. 

“Suicide pact,” Rick said calmly, as if he were joking. But the deadpan look on his face said otherwise. “I’ll l-launch us both into the Earth’s sun, Morty. It’s so hot — 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. We’ll die before we even-even get that close.”

“You’re insane.” Morty whispered, brows shooting up in disbelief. He pressed himself back against the work table when Rick approached him, his long legs succeeding in creating long strides.

“Severely depressed.” B-140γη corrected, hand reaching to grab Morty’s wrist. Morty let a yelp escape him at the contact, revealing the tool behind his back with little hesitance to hit Rick across the face. The mysterious tool turned out to be crowbar, the silver metal bending slightly from the way it made contact with Rick’s head. 

Rick groaned in a mixture of surprise and pain, the hit knocking him to the floor and onto his knees. When his head rose, his temple was bleeding and his face was contorted in malice. 

Morty swallowed the lump in his throat, raising the crowbar up in warning. 

The chuckle Rick let out was empty, mocking. “Th-that’s right, Morty. Follow in my footsteps. One good hit to the head could kill me.”

“I—“ Morty’s reply was interrupted when a loud crash flooded the garage, a sleek ship sloppily landing itself. The ship looked more like some sort of space jet as the craft finally came to a halt. 

When the top of the jet opened, Rick C-137 exited, completely naked and confused.

“What in the flying  _fuck_ is going on here?”


	7. I Love You, Morty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Morty say goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter for this series (until part two bitttchhh!). Thank you for everyone who stuck around this long (or any newcomers who came fashionably late to this party) Rest In Peace all the soldiers who’ve fallen along the way, ya’ll missed out.

“Shit.  Shit.”  B-140γη whispered to himself, eyes never leaving the naked body of C-137 exiting the space jet. When the scarred man tried to push himself onto his feet, he tumbled back onto his knees, his head knocking into the nearby stool, black dotting his already limited vision from the impressive hit Morty managed to land.

Rick didn’t pay much attention to the bleeding scientist. Instead, he hopped out of the ship and pranced over to his Morty, grabbing the boy by his right arm when it was within range.

“Morty we go-ouugg-tta go. I fucked up  big  time. And you know it’s serious when I admit my mistakes.” 

C-137 promptly began dragging the protesting Morty toward his more familiar ship until B-140γη quickly reached out, snagging the boy by his left wrist to stop them. Morty was stuck between two angry men like a tense rubber band, their identical grips nearly crushing his wrists. The two Ricks glared daggers at one another, B-140γη refusing to relent his hold even as he remained kneeled on the floor.

C-137 scowled past Morty, staring down the opposing man. “S-Sorry buddy, but this is  my  Morty. Kindly fuck off. Actually — not even kindly. Just f-fuck off.”

“You’re not taking him. I’m not letting you.”

“You don’t have to let me do shit. I do what I want.” C-137 hissed impatiently, watching as his doppelgänger finally rose to his feet. 

Morty panted out sharp breaths of panic, ripping himself from the grip of the two men and pushing himself away from the conflict. The two hardly noticed, too focused on scowling each other. 

“Did I miss so-ouugg-mething? W-why the fuck are you still here? Why are you _even_ here to begin with?” C-137 inquired, a patronizing tone in his voice. 

“You’ve be-been gone for a year.”

“And?”

B-140γη clenched his fists, anger flashing across his face. “Y-your Morty’s been waiting for you.”

“And?”

“ _Pussy_.” B-140γη replied bitterly.

“At l-least I have one.” 

“Huh?”

C-137 sprang forward like a snake, catching the other by surprise and knocking them both to the floor. He began pounding the man under him with both fists, successfully landing two hits on the other’s jaw, a loud, shivering crack making itself known before B-140γη crossed his arms up over his face protectingly.

“M-Morty! 13349! Use that and open my safe!” Rick screamed as he straddled the other’s waist, landing a hit on B-140γη’s chest, the impact causing the scarred man to get winded. Rick C-137 spared a glance at his unmoving Morty,fear and trauma clouding his companion’s gaze. “Morty,  _now_!”

Morty’s legs were moving before he could think, bending down on a knee to shakily dial in the numbers to keypad on the metal safe beside him. He cursed his shaky hands, forced to dial in the numbers several times without success, his fingers hitting an array of nearby numbers in the wrong combination.

Meanwhile, B-140γη blindly shuffled a hand beside him, extending out his arm to grab onto the dented crowbar Morty had attacked him with. Grunting at his succession when the crowbar met his fingers, he wrapped his hand around the weapon and used it to bash C-137 on the temple. 

C-137 groaned loudly at the sudden burst of pain, losing his pin on the man under him when he was promptly rolled over and pressed down to the floor of the garage. Positions switched now, B-140γη straddled the other’s naked hips, using both hands to press the crowbar against C-137’s throat, every ounce of his strength expended as he choked the rogue Rick with the metal tool. 

“I’m go-going to kill you right here, Rick,” B-140γη said, drool plopping on the other’s cheek when it slid down his chin from his lower lip. “And then I’m going to — your Morty’s going to be _mine_. ”

C-137’s eyes began rolling back from the lack of oxygen; the crowbar nearly pressing his Adam’s apple flat when B-140γη suddenly relented his choking, a pained groan erupting from his lips and a searing, hot pain flourishing from his shoulder. He turned to glance at his shoulder, eyes widening when he saw the spreading dark red drenching his lab coat. His heart stung at the fact Morty shot him.

“I-I-I’m sorry, Rick..” Morty said, hands shaking as the plasma gun he held between his hands buzzed from its recent usage. 

C-137 used the distraction to once again switch their positions, flipping over and slamming B-140γη onto his stomach. The scarred man screeched in pain, nose scrunching in pain at feeling of his injured shoulder making unpleasant contact with the concrete beneath him. His body hissed in the additional pain of being yet again humorously betrayed in the same fashion as last time by a different Morty.

“Don’t _move_.” C-137 commanded above him, fingers digging into the open wound in his shoulder threateningly. B-140γη bit back a scream yearning to leave his throat, blood seeping from where his teeth met his chapped lips and his nose flaring from a sharp inhale.

“Morty, toss me the-the cuffs in the safe too,” The rogue Rick said; Morty wordlessly following his commands and tossing a pair of seemingly normal silver cuffs. C-137 easily caught them in the air, yanking B-140γη’s arms behind his back, a whine of pain leaving the other’s lips at the unpleasant position. As soon as the cuffs wrapped around B-140γη’s wrists, they buzzed a vibrant blue, a small, uncomfortable wave of continuous electricity running through the pinned man’s body, causing the hair on his body to raise.

“A-alright Mo-orrgh-ty, let’s fucking bail. We wasted enough time as is—“ C-137 cut himself off when he saw Morty holding the plasma gun in his hands, pointed directly at his grandpa. 

“W-w-we’re taking him with us, Rick.” Morty demanded, eyebrows furrowed in determination.

“What the fuck, Morty?! We don’t —“ 

“We’re taking him or I’m staying behind with him!” Morty yelled over C-137, blinking away the tears overwhelming him. He didn’t quite know what exactly he was doing, but he refused to abandon B-140γη.

Rick groaned in mild irritation, too tired to argue with an emotional Morty. He needed to leave this dimension as soon as he could with Morty. Aimlessly arguing would do nothing bur deter him. He stood off B-140γη, who was unmoving, exhaustion and blood loss making his body heavy with slack deadweight. 

“Get in-in the ship, Morty.” Rick barked angrily as he dragged the scarred old man, his feet scrapping the floor until they made it into his ship. C-137 unceremoniously tossed him in the backseat without another word, ignoring how B-140γη landed on his side and winced angrily at Rick. He ignored the other’s discomfort, uncaring when he slammed the ship’s door closed in his face.

C-137 then turned to snatch the plasma gun from his Morty’s grip, holding it up accusingly. “You’re not even h-holding this shit right, you punk _ass_. Get _in_.” After jumping into the driver’s seat of his ship, he stared down Morty until the boy seated himself in the passenger seat, shoulders slumped.

Wasting no time, Rick flew the ship out of the garage, exiting the stratosphere within seconds and drowning themselves in an ocean of space. A silence flooded the interior of the ship, Morty darting his eyes to C-137, then to B-140γη; who had shuffled himself to sit up in the back seat rather than remain laying on his side.

Morty anxiously chewed at the innards of his cheeks, casting his eyes away from the bleeding man when C-137 draped an arm over the boy, resting his hand on the back of his neck possessively.

“They’re g-gonna be on our ass in a few, Morty,” C-137 said grimly, one hand on the steering mechanism, tightening. “I ke-keep you around because your brain waves cancel mine, M-Morty. But you can’t cancel two Ricks’ brainwaves.”

“Is that why you keep him around? As a tool?” B-140γη barked out from the back, immediately irritating C-137. 

“ _All_ Ricks, you mean. Don’t act like your-your better than me. Like y-your s-ouugg-ome saint.” Rick answered bitterly, making Morty slump further in his seat from the tension he could practically taste in the air.

“Wrong, ass-asshat,” B-140γη said, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably from where they were binded behind his body. “It’s because I love him. I _love_ you, Morty.” The man confessed, eyes filled with nothing by affection when Morty turned to look at him. 

“And I-if it’s worth anything, I’m sorry that I was — I acted like a psychotic bitch.” 

Morty couldn’t help the wobbly smile on his face, speechless at the unfiltered, affectionate display. His brows knitted in warm adoration.

“He’s only saying that shit because he’s delirious from blood loss, Morty.” C-137 added to the conversation quickly, ruining the intimate moment between the pair.

B-140γη’s face dropped into a scowl, leaning forward to spit on C-137. “Bullshit! I say w-what I mean!”

“You fucking bitch ass cu-uhnng-nt! Don’t f-fucking spit on—“

An abrupt loud boom echoed across the ship like a car crash, causing it lurch forward in a stuttered jolt, the force making B-140γη fly forward and bash his head behind Morty’s seat with pained groan.

“Fuck!” C-137 bit out, shoving the steering mechanism upwards to try to get his ship to move forward with little success. “T-they’re here, Morty. They’re here and they blew out one of my engines!”

B-140γη rose his head, his left eye already swelling from the impact of the collision. He squinted his eyes past his blackening vision, swallowing to moisten his dry throat. 

“My portal gun’s in my coat. It has one last charge left.” He voiced aloud, making Rick whip his head back in shock. 

“Why didn’t you say — mention that  _before_?” 

“Because y-you’re a fucking asshole,” B-140γη replied, squinting his eyes as best as he could before he leaned back into his seat, soft huffs of exhaustion leaving him. “Use it a-and take Morty with you.”

Morty jolted from where he sat, the older man’s words settling in his brain, realization dawning on him. He undid his seatbelt to turn and prop his knees on his seat, eyes wide. “W-w-what? No! We’re not — I’m not leaving you behind!”

The injured man let a breathy laugh leave him, lip turning slightly upwards, a crooked grin on his face despite the obvious physical pain he was in. 

“You’re not leaving me, Morty,” he said, softly, his words gentle. “I’m letting you go.”

C-137 also shifted in his seat with a roll of his eyes, reaching into the other man’s lab coat to grab the portal gun from his breast pocket. He grinned in relief when he unpocketed the valuable item. “Morty, let’s go.”

“I’m not leaving without you.” Morty said again, stubbornly, even as tears freely slid down his cheeks. 

Rick couldn’t wipe them away this time. 

“Morty, if I go with you, I’ll only be a b-burden,” B-140γη explained, fighting against the pain which swayed his consciousness. “I need medical attention to live, Morty. Leaving me here is my best chance to get that. My best chance for survival.”

C-137 shot open a small portal at the silica windshield, eyes gazing hard at Morty. “M-Morty let’s go, they’re—“ 

Another loud boom sounded against the metal exterior of the ship, the automotive technology slowly moving forward from the hit’s momentum. The impact nearly threw Morty out of his seat and into the dashboard, but he hardly cared. His watering eyes darted across Rick’s scarred face, noticing how the man could no longer see, the swelling of his good eye causing it to close shut. B-140γη was in complete darkness, unable to watch Morty leave.

But maybe that was for the better.

Morty sobbed, his body shaking, struggling with everything he had — the effort in vain — when C-137 shoved the boy through the open portal. Rick then paused to glance at the older man in the back seat, eyes scanning him for a second before he too jumped head-first into the buzzing green hole. 

The portal closed as quickly as it had been cast open, leaving B-140γη in momentary silence. 

“ _C-137, we h-have you surrounded. No funny fuckery or we’ll really blow your shit up._ ”  A loud speaker voiced from a larger ship that floated nearby, making the older man sigh and lean forward, turning on the ship’s radio with his nose. 

He rested back into his seat once he succeeded in his task, slumping back with a defeated, rattling exhale. 

“I fucking hate this song.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger — I know! It just means I’m gonna bring B-140γη back in a second series eventually. So look out for that! Let me know what you thought about this series, this chapter, B-140γη, or how your day went.
> 
> Random note: this is definitely what I envision B-140γη‘s theme song to be. It describes him so perfectly. Give it a listen: [Take Me Apart](https://youtu.be/8gVIophkn7Y)
> 
> Also, here’s where you can find B-140γη’s ask blog (more accurately his shit posts): [Rick-ythoughts](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/rick-ythoughts)


End file.
